’71 (2014) came out earlier this year with little fanfare. The only thing I heard about it at the time was that Jack O’Connell (Unbroken) gave an amazing performance and because I am a huge fan of O’Connell’s work, this has been on the list. I finally got around to watching it and boy, this is an excellent thriller and as expected, O’Connell does fabulous work here as well.
The story follows a soldier who is left behind during the 1971 riots in Ireland. It’s simple and yet deeply involving. There are some truly staggering moments especially during a scene where a bomb goes off in a pub. The aftermath contains one of the most disturbing and powerful images of the year. One thing I hated was the color palette. A bunch of muted sepia tones that made parts of the film look like they were lighted with cheap sodium vapor street lamps. This is especially noticeable and distracting during the outdoor night scenes but the whole film’s colorization feels off. Despite that minor gripe, this is highly recommended.